verbero, āvi, ātum, 1 (old form verberit for verberarit, Fest. p. 230, 15 e leg. Serv. ad Tull.; inf. verberarier, Plaut. As. 2, 3, 7; id. Most. 3, 1, 92), v. a. verber, to lash, scourge, whip, flog, beat, drub (class.; syn.: ferio, pulso). Lit.: So. Sum obtusus pugnis pessume. Am. Quis te verberavit? Plaut. Am. 2, 1, 60: pulsare verberareque homines, Cic. Verr. 2, 5, 54, § 142; so (with pulsare) id. ib. 2, 3, 26, § 66: civem Romanum, id. Rep. 2, 31, 54: matrem, id. Vatin. 5, 11; cf.: parentem, servum injuriā, id. Fin. 4, 27, 76: oculos virgis, Cic. Verr. 2, 5, 43, § 112: laterum costas ense, Ov. M. 4, 727; Mart. 7, 94, 6; Dig. 47, 10, 5 prooem.

—Absol.: quo firme verberaturi insisterent, Suet. Calig. 26: caudā verberando excutere cibum, Plin. 32, 2, 5, § 12.

—Prov.: noli verberare lapidem, ne perdas manum, Plaut. Curc. 1, 3, 41.

— Transf., of inanimate things, to beat, strike, lash, knock, etc.: locum coaequato et paviculis verberato, Cato, R. R. 91: tormentis Mutinam verberavit, Cic. Phil. 8, 7, 20: aquila aethera verberat alis, Verg. A. 11, 756: verberat ictibus auras, id. ib. 5, 377: fundā amnem, id. G. 1, 141; cf.: sidera (unda), id. A. 3, 423: agros nive (Juppiter), Stat. Th. 5, 390: undas (Aufidus), to lash, Luc. 2, 407; cf.: navem (Auster), Hor. Epod. 10, 3: puppim (Eurus), Val. Fl. 1, 639.

—In a comic pun, Plaut. Am. 1, 1, 177.

— Trop., to lash, chastise, plague, torment, harass with words: aliquem verbis, Plaut. Truc. 1, 2, 17: ne me ut surdo verbera aures, id. Mil. 4, 1, 204: senatus convicio verberari, Cic. Pis. 26, 63; cf.: verberavi te cogitationis tacito duntaxat convicio, id. Fam. 16, 26, 1: orator in dicendo exercitatus hac ipsā exercitatione istos verberabit, id. de Or. 3, 21, 79: aures sermonibus, Tac. Agr. 41; Petr. 132.